The Bucket Hat
by The Other Side of Darkness
Summary: One day, a few months after Saffron and the failed wedding, Ranma meets somebody who tells him, "You care too much." No real conflict, just a decisive ending.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma. Nor Trigun. This isn't a crossover

Chapter One: Who Gives A Damn

By the end of the first month of his engagement to Akane Ranma Saotome was officially labled as the first human projectile weapon. By the time the failed wedding aftershocks ended he was labled as the first ever Human Typhoon. This title would be carried through the millenia, changed to Humanoid Typhoon, and given to several other individuals whose mere presence sometime brought destruction so great their very existence was considered an Act of God. Only one other would be as aptly named Humanoid Typhoon as Ranma was and it took over Fourteen thousand years for that individual to come into existence and even he didn't deal with the things Ranma had.

Ranma was very surprised to recieve his title when the Japanese government made the stop at the Tendo home one month after the failed wedding. His mother, it seemed, couldn't be happier. She had apparently decided nothing could be more manly than being a human embodiment of an act of god. His father was... well, he just did what he normally did only to recive far less positive results. Hardly anyone wanted their daughter, or the occasional son, to marry someone who could and had destroyed mountain. Nabiki Tendo of course used it to her advantage, setting up fights with the legendary first ever Human Typhoon. Kasumi was most definitely least affected, though she did ask that all of his fights take place away from home from then on. Soun Tendo decided that it was even more imperative that his youngest daughter marry the young man now, going with the thinking that it would due them great honor to be married to one given such titles.

Akane had, by and far, taken it the worst. She had somehow turned it around in her head to make it that he had somehow planned out receiving his titles in some sort of attempt to undermine her martial arts skill. Nothing he did could mollify her and it seemed now as if his very existence angered her to the point of a malleting. She had stopped calling him Baka entirely, changing it now to 'Arrogant Asshole!'

It was to such a cry that Kasumi opened the door for one of their two longest stayed guests to travel through without damaging the house.

"Really, Akane. Must you do that everytime someone even breathes his name?" Kasumi scolded lightly before closing the door.

"The arrogan asshole deserves it!" Akane hissed before laying into her food with an angry ferocity.

The rest of them just ignored it as the new norm.

Ranma Saotome, the first Human Typhoon, Act of God, etcetera, etcetera, was by this landing in a park a good mile away. He was also quite pissed. He was nearing the point of just... saying something that would probably bite him in the ass hard enough to add a few more titles to his name.

That's also why he glared at the person lounging on the bench to his left who had called out his government given title.

"What?!" he snapped at the young man wearing a black bucket hat, "You wanna fight too!?"

The man held up a single hand in a placating manner, "Nope, just recognized you and thought I'd make myself aquainted. But you do seem to be a good deal pissed. Wanna talk about it? Might help ya deal with your problems."

Ranma stared at the man for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to just walk away, "Your not gonna sell it to some paper are you?"

The man chuckled slightly as he scooted over on the bench for Ranma to take a seat and said, "Kid, you may be the first human classified as a typhoon, but you ain't the first act of good. Two things I know that people in your position want are a vent and security. You want a vent to let all your emotions and feelings and thoughts out and the security that no one is gonna turn what you think against you. I'm offering both. I swear on my honor that I wont speak a word of what you say to anyone."

Satisfied with the man's answer, Ranma walked over and sat on the bench, though he was tensed and ready to split the very second he thought something was gonna happen.

"Well... it all started with..."

Over the next four hours Ranma went over the basics of his life, highlighting certain fights and events. The man listened intently, asking the occasional question for clarification on certain things, like the dragon prince and who exactly Saffron was.

"...And now it's like if I even breathe in too deep people are running for cover, two out of four fiancee's are proclaiming the choice made, and one hits me fucking Reggie Jackson going for a homerun."

The man took in his description of his life as it was, then stood up and took off his hat allowing Ranma to see the guy had red hair a number of shades darker than his female form's.

"You know what I think your problem is, kid?" The man asked.

Ranma frowned. The man was judging him, just like he thought he would. He should have known better than to trust some guy.

He was ripped out of his thoughts when the guy put his black bucket hat on Ranma's head and pulled a second from his pocket to replace it on his own head, "You care too much, kid."

"Wha...?"

"You care too much, it don't get much simpler than that, kid. You care about what your mother thinks of you. You care about the honor of a bunch of girls who couldn't care less about yours. You care about people who would rather kill you than sit down and enjoy a good meal with you," he pulled the rim of his hat to cover his eyes, "I'm not saying you should forsake your family, drop your fiancees, and kick the asses of the people after your head... well okay, yeah I'm telling you to do the third one. Just don't sit back and eat the shit being shoveled in your face. You got to stop caring about trivial things the people about you can't seem to get their minds off of and rise above it. In fact, kid, if I were you, I'd straight up tell 'em to go to hell and take their opinions and schemes with 'em... but it's up to you," The man put his hands in his pockets and began to walk away, "the only advice I can really give you is that it's your life, not your mother's or father's or anyone else's. Live it like you want to."

Ranma sat in silence as the man left, forgetting the new black accessory on his head. He was contemplating what the young man had told him. From the looks of the guy he couldn't be more than a couple years older than Ranma himself... but the things he said. They sounded like the words of a guy who'd experienced more than he'd ever care to... just like Ranma.

A while later Ranma began the treck home. He arrived just as dinner was starting, still sporting the black bucket hat and a contemplative look.

He didn't notice as he instinctively dodged Akane's mallet, his left hand flying to his head to keep his new hat in place. He didn't notice people staring at him as he dodged a second time. He didn't even acknowledge the fact on the third attempt at sending him flying he placed his foot in her stomach until after the fact.

His eyes widened and he began to move forward to see if Akane was okay when the man's words echoed in his head. _"You care too much, kid."_

He stopped, gave her a brief glance to make sure he hadn't really hurt her, then moved to the table, leaving three confused and one bruised people in his wake.

After a tense dinner where no one talked Nabiki pulled Ranma aside.

"Do you have any idea how much money you just lost me, Saotome!" She hissed at him. Ranma's eyes became half lidded.

"Ask me if I care," he said with his head tilted to the side in a manner that reminded Nabiki not of a curious dog, but an inquiring wolf.

Her brow furrowd and her eyes narrowed, "You had better, Saotome! You're the one that's going to pay me back for every damn penny I lose because you hit my sister, or so help me god, I'll-"

"Or you'll what? Sell more pictures of my female side to Kuno? Try and whore me out to the other fiancees? Make me pay twice as much for hot water when I need it?"

Nabiki almost growled and she grabbed the front of his shirt, "I'll make your life hell."

Ranma poked her hand at a certain spot and suddenly her entire arm fell to the side, completely numb, "I'm a Human Typhoon, Nabiki. An act of god given human form. A force of destruction recognized by the Japanese, Chinese, and half of Asia. According to the reports I'm liable to cause mass destruction at any given moment, any day, any place. Thing is I'm still human, I can't save every body and you wont always be at the top of my list of civilians to evacuate."

"Did you just threaten me, Saotome!?" Nabiki demanded.

"Nope, that's your game. I'm just stating the facts. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a bath," He walked around the now stunned Tendo.

That had felt... incredibly good. He felt just a smidgeon better, happier... more free. Maybe that guy had been right. Maybe he did care too much. Maybe it was time to start living his own life.

There'd be a hell of a lot of protest, and definitely some fighting to be done, but if being free felt as good as it had telling Nabiki off, it would definitely be worth it.

+-- End Chapter one--+

A/N: I hope this is enjoyable. Yes, the person he talked to was me, but this will not be a real SI in the fact that this is one of only two chapters I make an appearance in, and the other is only going to be in the epilogue if i get that far in the story. Please leave a review if it suits you. The next chapter might be longer.


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